Effects of absorption and desorption on the chemical stress field

The present work studies the effects of absorption and desorption on the chemical stress field in a membrane during permeation or both-side charging of a diffusing species. The permeation and both-side charging processes are analyzed with the consideration of the absorption and desorption processes, wherein the flux continuity boundary conditions are adopted. The results show that the chemical stresses are compressive near the surfaces and tensile in the center of the membrane. The maximum magnitude of stress occurs at the entry surface for the permeation process and at both surfaces for the both-side charging process. For the permeation process, the compressive stress at the entry surface increases with time to a maximum and then decreases with time gradually to zero. A similar phenomenon is found at both surfaces in the both-side charging process. In both processes, the stress magnitude depends upon the ratio of the drift velocity through surface to the drift velocity through bulk. When this ratio approaches infinity, the flux continuity boundary conditions reduce to the concentration boundary condition and the highest chemical stress field will be produced. Therefore, reducing the drift velocity through surface would be an efficient means to reduce the strength of the chemical stress. In general, designed surface alloying can introduce diffusing species traps at the surfaces of a membrane, which may efficiently decrease the drift velocity through surface. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.